I am a Dabawenya. Born and raised in Davao City. Anybody who knows me can attest to how much I love my hometown and how much I respect the government officials voted by the people. Anybody who has also been reading this Mindanaoan blog for a while now would know that I consider the Dutertes as not only powerful but efficient public officials.
Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte (who’s running virtually unopposed for Davao City mayor in the May 2013 elections) has done a lot for Davao City. I’m pretty sure a lot of people would agree with me. He runs the city with an iron fist and his style of governance works well for a city like Davao. Under his leadership (and his daughter’s, incumbent Mayor Sara), Davao became a smoke-free, firecracker-free and non-biodegradable plastics and styrofoam-free city. Davao City is considered one of the world’s livable cities, it is one of the cleanest in the world and investments come in non-stop.
But with these achievements also come controversies. Not too long ago, his daughter Mayor Inday Sara Duterte punched a sheriff. His son Paolo (who’s running for Davao City Vice Mayor next year) flashed the dirty finger on national TV. And just last night, Davao Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte made a very startling (but NOT surprising) offer: a reward of P2 million pesos to anyone who captures alive Ryan Yu (alias Baktin), an alleged local car theft syndicate leader. “Baktin” means piglet in Bisaya.
Actually, the offer was like this: P2 Million if Baktin is captured alive, P4 Million if Ryan Yu alyas Baktin is captured dead and a bonus of P1 Million if the suspect’s head is presented to him enveloped in dry ice.
Yes, you read that right.
Duterte even said that he will source the supposed bounty from his election campaign funds.
The reason for such anger? Rody Duterte is pissed that Ryan Yu alias Baktin implicated Paolo in the alleged illegal car theft syndicate operations.
Needless to say, the Commission on Human Rights folks are going crazy. They say that the bounty is a gross violation of the law.
But if you ask Dabawenyos right now (especially the victims of these car thieves), they say that Duterte’s offer is but right.
So now I want to ask you — what are your thoughts about this?
Please share your comments below. Thank you!
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Mindanaoan is a multi-awarded blogger, content creator, seasoned social media strategist and publicist with undeniably successful track record. 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (for global leaders) alumnus and O visa grantee (for people with extraordinary skills and who have risen to the top of their field). Avid traveler and a proud relief operations volunteer. Regular resource person for social media, blogging and content creation. Available for work and travel – [email protected]
I don’t know what else to say about the CHR. They say Ryan “Baktin” Yu has the right to avail the equal protection the law provides. Isn’t it hypocrisy that a law-violator, a criminal to be more specific, finds resort/comfort with the very constitution/law that he himself is violating/disrespecting?
Why would he be given the law’s protection when in fact he does not believe in the law? When in fact this person lives as if law is a non-existent entity?
If they say, everybody deserves to live and be given a second chance which they might find in prison, may I ask them how many carnappers/drug lords/syndicates are already convicted in jail to suffer the crime they committed? Not even a handful perhaps. These people are allowed to bail themselves out. So most of them are free and are still doing what they’ve been doing. Our justice system is so corrupted and clogged. Even our constitution itself is problematic. That is the very reason behind the many problems/crimes in this country.
The Duterte’s are only implementing the kind of governance (which somehow like of the Code of Hammurabi) other politicians have failed to execute. They are only doing what great government officials are supposed to be doing. One needs to be tough and merciless when it comes to punishing criminals. Only by this, crimes will be eradicated. Nothing is really wrong with killing a criminal. Death must be the consequence of being a criminal.
so i don’t know much about this aside from what ive read here… do people get harmed or killed in the commission of his crimes? if not, then his execution would be murder, plain and simple.
Even in places where the death penalty is legal, one doesn’t lose his life over stealing a CAR.
There are so many problems that will be brought about by these arbitrary calls for assassination- mistaken identities might lead to the wrong people being killed is just one of them.
Is this what “great government officials are supposed to be doing”? Really? Did the mayor of London or parliamentarians in Singapore sanction assassinations just to achieve order?